SaaS Testing Tools: Getting Started with QA Automation

When it comes to SaaS testing, few things can fully replace the method and expertise of a solid QA team led by qualified testers. However, it is near impossible to catch every single imperfection of a software manually.

This is where SaaS testing tools come in. A couple years ago I published another list of SaaS testing tools that even today stands as one of my most read blog posts. Considering this, I thought it would be good to update this information to account for new and improved tools.

What are SaaS testing tools?

SaaS testing tools are applications that are used to test the performance of a software in the SaaS model. Ideally the testing plan is highly detailed and covers every nook and cranny of the SaaS, which adds many hours on to the building and deployment of the software. Automating these applications and processes makes the testing job much more efficient and potentially more thorough than manual testing.

Challenges including the need to constantly test frequent new releases and accommodating testing of various access levels within an application can lead to an extremely tedious testing timeline. To accelerate the testing process and to mitigate potential challenges or oversights, testing tools and testing automation play a vital role for the success of SaaS applications.

Are SaaS testing tools are right for your business?

For the highly competitive SaaS industry, these tools are very appealing to organizations that are competing against similar software and are constantly creating incremental updates and releases to keep up with the industry.

These updates need to be tested and optimized every time they are released. This is where SaaS testing tools come in as a long-term competitive advantage and a prudent practice for SaaS applications.

Having a well-thought out testing plan is key to SaaS success, and there are a number of tools available to contribute to this success. However, despite the many tools available to advance the testing process, testing automation may not always be the right call. For example, if the deadline does not allow time to build the automation process, then testing manually is preferable.

Your decision should depend on the timeline, abilities and preference of the QA team to use a mix of manual testing and utilizing testing tools. In the long run, implementing and using an automated testing tool can save a lot of time and potential errors for the SaaS application.

Start Your Search Here

While there are many different testing tools available, the following SaaS testing tools are worth taking a look at as potential solutions to testing challenges and for improving a current testing plan:

This set of software tools has the capability of automating various web browsers across platforms to test SaaS products. The tool suite is comprised of different tools that are specific to stages of the testing process, and cater toward testers who have various levels of software and testing knowledge.

Selenium IDE, one of the tools in the kit, has a simple interface that makes it easy to automate tests. It is a Firefox plugin and is able to record user activity to export it into programming script to be used later. Selenium IDE is a relatively light testing tool and functions as a very base level, quick tester. It is a good starting point to get to know the product and move on to a more complicated tool, like the Selenium Grid or Selenium 2.

Selenium Grid accommodates testing on a larger scale and can test software that runs on multiple environments. Selenium 2 is supportive of WebDriver API and allows multi-language browser control. These tools are a potential solution to a tedious testing process and save time by testing a software on multiple browsers at once.

This tool works with both manual and automated testing and is able to integrate with many existing testing tools, making the onboarding process for PractiTest quite smooth. Beyond the integration, PractiTest is highly customizable and has a simple-to-use dashboard to view the results or scope of the testing. The dashboard is customizable and filterable to make the test results organized and easy to comprehend.

Using automation with PractiTest involves using an automation framework (Jenkins, Bamboo, etc.) and PractiTest’s API to then generate the testing automation. It works in every language and supports all stages of the test process. Even better, if you do not already have an automation practice, the PractiTest xbot can help define which tests will be automated.

This may be the most intuitive and simple tool in the list since it does not require coding or programming knowledge to build the test cases. Its automated testing solutions include database, regression, web services, cross-browser and mobile testing. To help with the testing recording process, it includes a visual recorder that helps track things like a click, scroll or cancel button. Like some of the other testing tools, it supports many browsers and can test cross-browser as well. It even allows integration with bug tracking tools to trace and capture the bugs that may occur in the software.

TestingWhiz is a great tool to get started on testing automation because of its user-friendly interface and the diversity of testing that it accommodates.

Omri is the Head of Demand Generation, as well as the Lead Author & Editor of the SaaSAddict Blog. Omri established the SaaSAddict blog to create a source for news and discussion about some of the issues, challenges, news, and ideas relating to SaaS and cloud migration.